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I wouldn't call Seattle the easy number 2. Having been to both Seattle and Portland I think you could make a good argument for either city. I think Seattle's great, but I thought Portland was better in the downtown area. I don't see how someone could say Seattle's the "easy number 2" and follow it up by saying they haven't been to Portland.
I was going by what friends who live in both have told me, and frankly, by size.
I know I would love Portland, and perhaps I'll feel differently once I've been.
I was going by what friends who live in both have told me, and frankly, by size.
I know I would love Portland, and perhaps I'll feel differently once I've been.
That's fair. It's just hard to know for sure until visiting. I sort of wrote Portland off as "just hype" until I visited. I like the feel and scale better than Seattle's downtown area.
of the big city west coast downtowns i've been to, i'd rank them as following:
1. San Francisco
2. Los Angeles (not too far from SF in terms of vibrancy and bustle, etc, especially in parts such as Broadway, but DT LA is a bit smaller and less busy/walkable overall than DT SF)
3. Oakland/San Diego (very close on DT LA's heels in my opinion, though obviously on smaller scales)
4. San Jose/Sacramento (neither are bad at all, and have plenty to offer but get smacked down comparatively...Downtown SJ in particular has a very nice vibe that i like. It's been a long time since i spent any time in downtown sac though, so i could be off for them)
SF # 1 by a long long way, it is the only city on the west coast that can compare to the downtowns of the NE or Chicago.
I like how like to protend the northeastern cities set the standard.
There are more downtown than just NYC, Boston, and Philly. There are probably more downtowns in the northeast that are falling apart most so than on the west coast.
I would say San Francisco, but I can't say its by a long shot above the rest. It's would be hard to agree with most on which one in number 2 as it really just depends on what interest a person. Personally I like what is happening in LA.
LA may not have all of the chain stores, and in some parts it can be edgey and other parts just down right gritty. Yet there are few downtown's in the US (yes I said it) that have the vibrancy, and the foot traffic you encounter in the downtown area. Go to the Fashion District, or down on Broadway, then be honest and tell me if you see that kind of traffic or hustle and bustle.
I can't think of really any, other than of course the obvious NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, and perhaps Philly. BTW I do like Seattle downtown, and it reminds me a bit of San Francisco's but a bit cleaner overall.
I wanted to reply with a second response regarding many other downtowns on the west coast that haven't been mentioned but a a bit smaller, but no less important.
Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Long Beach, Beverly Hills I would rate as some of the top downtown's on the west coast. There are others as well I didn't mentioned. I believe too many of these would most likely put some eastern cities of similar size downtown's to shame.
Voted for Seattle, because it's been my home for 20 years. And in recent years its DT is definitely gaining 'livability'.
As for SF, it is great, but unreal in the meaning of who can afford living there?! What's the use of voting for a dream?..
#2 is Portland.
P.S. In my opinion, Vancouver BC is the best on the West coast, but it is still Canadian ;-)
Voted for Seattle, because it's been my home for 20 years. And in recent years its DT is definitely gaining 'livability'. As for SF, it is great, but unreal in the meaning of who can afford living there?! What's the use of voting for a dream?..
Funny you say that, because two of SF's poorest neighborhoods are in downtown SF (the Tenderloin and Chinatown). Downtown SF has people from every walk of life you could imagine.
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